Sunday, August 07, 2022

Jericho, Nassau County, New York

Lance Lee
Nassau County Police Department



The Second Squad reports the arrest of a Bayville man for Reckless Endangerment that occurred on Saturday, August 6, 2022 at 11:09 pm in Jericho.
 
According to Detectives, a Nassau County Police Helicopter was canvassing for an unrelated incident when the subject pointed a green laser pointer at the helicopter interfering with the pilot’s ability to operate the rotorcraft. The pilot was able to determine that the subject’s location was at 38 Jericho Turnpike, The Edgewood Motel.
 
After a thorough investigation Nassau County Bureau of Special Operations officers were able to locate the subject inside the motel. Defendant Lance Lee, 32, of 1 Forest Avenue, was arrested without incident. 

No injuries were reported. 

Defendant Lee is charged with: 
  • First-degree directing a laser at an aircraft
  • Second-degree reckless endangerment 
  • Second-degree obstructing governmental administration
He was released on an appearance ticket and will be arraigned on Friday, August, 26, 2022 at First District Court 99 Main Street, Hempstead.

18 comments:

  1. Going to play devil’s advocate here. I am a professional pilot. Have had two laser strikes while flying at night. Was a surprise, but so is a jolt of turbulence. I have never read of a single accident that was the result of a laser strike. How many thousands occur each year? Is this overreacting?

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    1. It isn't overreacting for circumstances where EMS and police helicopter ops have to withdraw from close-up exposure. The issue is often media hyped as if an airliner could be brought down from mid-flight, but that's not the exposure type that creates credible accident risk.

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    2. Are you suggesting that we should just wait until a plane augers in? There have been a few cases where eye injury occurred? Is that not enough?
      Just asking.

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    3. Blood shouldn’t have to be spilled to make it illegal. I think it’s common sense lasers can create distractions. It’d be a problem if he was aiming it at cars too. 32 years old seems a little old to be pointing lasers at aircraft.

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    4. Only in New York ... You get arrested for this but practically nothing else? That makes sense.🙄

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    5. He should get the same sentence as if the helicopter crashed and killed people. Let's stop rewarding incompetence with lighter sentences.

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    6. That makes sense. If a guy runs a stop light charge him with vehicular homicide same as if he had caused a fatal traffic crash.

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    7. If you're a professional pilot you should be painfully aware that common sense, reason, and practicality have absolutely no place whatsoever in aviation rules and regulations.

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    8. Anon...re: running a stop sign and charge him/her with vehicular homicide. Heck yes! Maybe that would prevent so many red light/stop sign runners. There are too many deaths per day because of the recklessness of incompetent drivers. Why would we not want laser idiots to be held accountable considering how many more lives could be destroyed due to the laser freaks?

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  2. This should be life with no parole. Teach these morons a lesson.

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  3. 24-hours and nobody blaming this on liberal/woke ideology yet?

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  4. I agree with both the first poster, and the comment about running the stop sign. While it is an intentional and stupid act that should be punished, I am certain that any laser I have ever seen would not make me crash an aircraft, it would annoy and anger me.
    The FAA intentionally ignores other violations that are far more dangerous to the public, even when asked to enforce them. FAR 135 duty time and maintenance documentation, for example. Speaking from experience. I guess they enforce this, and think it will give the public a good impression of great attention to details. They're so busy finding lasers that they can't approve a ferry permit in any reasonable time.

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  5. That’s the biggest 11-year-old boy I’ve ever seen.

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  6. Got lased two nights ago a 4,000 ft on the arrival into dca.... green laser that lit up our cockpit. Very intentional and very uncool. Hit the AA guy behind us too. The average iq is 100. That means we are typically surrounded by a bunch of stupid people. The world wouldn’t miss them if they were gone.

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  7. 32. I remember my Dad at around that age. Breadwinner, fixed things, head of the dinner table, loved my mom. He spent hours catching up with us kids after working all day... Dude, you're 32.

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  8. Respect to the pilots dealing with this situation.

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  9. Lasers can't "blind" a pilot. They don't have nearly enough energy for that and any living human would close their eyelids even if it did. There is a great paper out there that discusses this myth with regards to flying. Yes it can be annoying and yes it should be illegal, but no its not as dangerous as the non flying public likes to think it is. Should be a misdemeanor fine. (I'm a pp)

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    1. You may want to talk to an Ophthalmologist and get an understanding that there are different colors of laser pointers and degrees of possible damage to eyes shining into a cockpit. First off, your eyes are adjusted to dark, or low light, while flying. Having a laser hit the cockpit could cause temporary blindness. (much like you'd be in a dark place for a period of time and then turning on your cellphone flashlight). It's a stupid thing this guy did. Maybe he needs to get a life and do something productive. ;)

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